I ran across a photo I haven't previously seen and thought the list might like to see it. It is a picture of Chicago Police Captain John Stege taken in 1927 from the Chicago Daily New Archives. It shows him examining A Thompson in a viola or violin case. Wonder what ever happened to this treasure?

It's not as elaborate as The 1930's Rust's case, but I'm sure it did the job for whoever they confiscated it from. Maybe Rust's long lost Uncle?

Interests:Thompsons, obviously. Proud West Hurley 1928 and Savage M1 owner, cave explorer, and KSP trooper (retired). Also interested in 1920-1930 American history. I appreciate all Thompson models and their owners.

Posted 15 September 2003 - 06:38 PM

Incredible! Where did you find that? I guess that may lend creedence to the idea that there were those who actually carried a Thompson in a violin case. I was just about convinced it was merely an urban legend. Thanks for posting!

Interests:Thompson Junkie since early 1980s,<br>Professional Restorer of antique gambling devices, specifically slot machines dating from 1890s through the late 1940. Owner of &quot;Two-Bit Restorations&quot;.<br>Given name - Jeff Frahm<br>alias - &quot;Two-Bit&quot;

Posted 15 September 2003 - 07:28 PM

Hey, fantastic picture. Brings back memories of the 1921-A that I bought back in the early 1980's from a doctor in St. Louis, Missouri. It came in a beautiful old violin case that had been expertly sectioned off to hold a fifty round drum and a complete cleaning kit. Reputed to have belonged to a member of the old Green Gang out of southern Illinois, it was in fantastic condition, but the case was obviously old and I always handled it with the respect it deserved. With the Thompson and all its accessories, there was a lot of weight on that handle, so I carried it with care. There's a big difference in weight between a Thompson with a fully loaded drum and a violin, that the case was designed to hold originally. I was fortunate enough to have owned this great old piece of history for eight years but foolish enough to have sold it to finance a different passion (that is now long gone too). As many of you can identify with, "Too late Smart".

Hey, look to the bottom right of that picture. I see the Rusco/Mills canvas carrying case near the 50-round drum. I'm not trying to be the proverbial turd in the punchbowl, but I wonder if the picture was a bit "staged". Maybe not. It could have even been a gun from the Chicago PD arsenal. Aww, now I'm bein' mean. Could be real.Being a player all my life, it was my view (and that of string players) that the gun would only fit in a viola case, not violin. I never actually tried. Anybody on this forum actually tried to put one in a violin case, with any kind of mag? I'm curious. I'll try to get to one of my music store pals and take my MGC '21 with drum in for a "fit".

Interests:Thompsons, obviously. Proud West Hurley 1928 and Savage M1 owner, cave explorer, and KSP trooper (retired). Also interested in 1920-1930 American history. I appreciate all Thompson models and their owners.

Posted 15 September 2003 - 08:04 PM

Here's mine in a violin case...

When I first walked into the leather shop to have my Thompson fitted, case in hand, I honestly thought they'd think I had a machine gun in it. Nope, the thought I was a musician!

Attached Files

I picked up a Viloa case just like the one in the picture a couple of years ago with the idea of putting my Thompson in it but it doesn't fit with the vertical foregrip installed. If you look at the picture you can see the barrel hanging over the edge of the case with the bottom of the foregrip against the other side. The photo is probably staged like Ron Mills said.

The store clerk told me that the cases were made during the late 1800s through the early 1900s.

To lighten things up here is a little bit of humor for you,

Q If you are lost in the outdoors which would you rather have with you a violin or a viola?

Interests:Thompsons, obviously. Proud West Hurley 1928 and Savage M1 owner, cave explorer, and KSP trooper (retired). Also interested in 1920-1930 American history. I appreciate all Thompson models and their owners.